Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with Sausage is super flavorful, and very good for feeding a small group. This pressure cooker red beans and rice recipe is such a nice meal! Serve it for a casual gathering, or for a delicious family dinner.
Originally published 9/20/17
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
A little history: Back in the day, before washing machines, laundry day was Monday in New Orleans. The women would put on a pot of beans with Sunday’s leftover ham and bone in it to cook all day while they did the laundry.
Red Beans and Rice on Monday remains a tradition to this day.
While in New Orleans, I had the pleasure of eating the real deal. It was spicy, and the beans were creamy and flavored perfectly. I knew I had to have this meal again when I got home. So I set out to make my own version.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with Sausage is my version of this classic NOLA meal. I wanted to make it easy to prepare, with ingredients you can find in the grocery store (or easily online).
You can order the Camellia brand red beans online, but the “small red beans” at the local grocery store give very good results. They are usually next to the red kidney beans, so make sure to get those ones!
Beans in the Pressure Cooker
One of the downsides of cooking beans, whether in a pressure cooker or a pot on the stove, is that you could get old beans and not even know it.
Why are old beans a problem?
Old beans usually need a much longer cook time. It’s hard to know if you have old beans, and even buying
“new” beans in the grocery store doesn’t ensure that they don’t already have some age on them.
If you suspect that your beans might be old, you can either cook them longer, or try soaking them in a bowl of water for 3-5 hours before cooking.
For the sausage, you will have a spicy flavor explosion if you use Andouille, which is traditional. But I have used a good, smoky kielbasa and it tastes great, too. Just add more of the Cajun/Creole seasoning if you like it spicier. Or even some red pepper flakes.
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Don’t for get the Hot Sauce! I like to add a few squirts of my Instant Pot Hot Sauce for an added kick. You can make homemade hot sauce so easily in your Instant Pot!
Recipe updated on 7/28/21
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice With Sausage is a flavor packed, spicy New Orleans traditional meal. This pressure cooker Red Beans and Rice dish has lots of flavor, and you can make it from dry beans in about an hour and a half!
- ¼ lb Bacon (or 2 Tbsp bacon fat)
- 1 large Yellow Onion (2 cups diced)
- 3-4 ribs Celery, (2 cups diced)
- 7 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Sage, dried
- 1/2 tsp Basil, dried
- 1 Tbsp Cajun / Creole Seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's, or my Cajun Spice Blend) or more to taste
- 5 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 lb **Small Red Beans (such as Camellia) sorted & rinsed
- 1 ½ lbs Andouille Sausage (or a good smoky Kielbasa) sliced in 3/4" rounds
- ¼ cup Parsley, chopped
- Green Onions, for garnish (optional)
- Hot Sauce, as much as you like!
- 2 cups Cooked White Rice (or more for leftovers)
-
Turn the pressure cooker on to the Sauté setting. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it renders the fat. Remove the bacon and set aside (You won't be adding it in, you just want the fat). If using bacon fat, let it heat up and then proceed.
-
If you are using Andouille sausage, add it and brown on both sides (don't cook through). Then remove. If using kielbasa, don't brown it as long as it is softer than Andouille.
-
Add the onions and celery. Cook for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to get the brown bits up (deglaze). You may need to add just a splash of the broth to help loosen it.
-
Add the garlic, bay leaves, green and red bell peppers, sage, and basil. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent.
-
Add the Cajun/Creole seasoning, and stir.
-
Add the broth, beans, and sausage. Stir and put the lid on the pot and lock it in place. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
-
Cancel the Sauté function and press the Pressure Cook or Manual button, then press the + or - button or dial to choose 50 minutes (High Pressure).
-
When the cooking cycle has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 20 minutes (20 minute natural release). Then manually release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release knob to Venting.
-
When the pin in the lid drops down, you can open the lid. Carefully stir the beans with a long handled spoon (be aware of any possible steam pockets as they "burp" and can cause burns).
-
Taste a few of the beans to make sure they are tender. If not, close the lid and cook for 5 more minutes (with a 10 minute natural release).
-
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Then mash some of the beans (a potato masher is good for this) and stir to make a more creamy consistency. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Stir in the chopped parsley.
-
Serve over cooked white rice and garnish with green onions and hot sauce.
**Please Note: Not all beans will cook in the designated time. Different varieties, and especially OLD beans may need additional cook time. See post for more info.
Resources To Make Instant Pot Red Beans Recipe and More
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Amy
Followed your recipe just as written and it was perfect. Restaurant quality. Thanks for sharing and making one of my favorite childhood recipes easy to remake! 5 stars.
Anne
I couldn’t get the stars to light up on this comment but FIVE STARS!! My son said, Can you highlight this on your recipes?? BIG winner in my house! We followed the recipe EXACTLY. We had to cook the bean 10 minutes longer than the recipe said but other than that, nothing else! We served this with white rice, a green salad and freshly baked sour dough bread. JUST AMAZING! THANK YOU!! PS my other son just came in the room and said, “MORE OF THAT!” LOL!
Sandy
Awesome! Thank you.
Susan DeHaven
Is is supposed to be soupy at the end of the cooking time? Delishous food
Sandy
Yes, a bit. You put it over rice and the rice absorbs the sauce.
paship
This recipe is amazingly flavorful and tasty! It’s a dish that you come back for 2nd and 3rd helpings! I had intended to use the peppers but they were too old and I didn’t have red beans so instead used dry pinto beans. The suggestion for adding additional cook time was helpful. I added an extra 5 minutes to the initial cook time plus another 5 minutes to achieve the desired softness.
Kaye M.
My mother was raised in the Panama Canal Zone. Their red beans and rice is not Spicy and used salt pork. I also only have a 3 qt. Mini. Any suggestions on how I can cook this basic recipe? I’m up to a mildly spicy addition but don’t really want to go too far from the “Old Family Recipe”!
Donnie
This was exactly what I hoped it would be. I avoided the celery because I dont care for it and the bay leaves just because I didnt have any. I used kidney beans since they were as close as I could find to what you called for. I cooked for 45 minutes due to the different beans. They still had a bit of a bite but I was ok with that. Even with those modifications it was fantastic and I will absolutely be making it again.
Sandy
You sure made it work! I hope you get to try the Camellia red beans some time. They are really good. Thanks for your review!
Donnie
I will keep an eye out for them for sure. Worst case scenario I just keep making it with kidney beans. I already have enough trouble not overeating with the kidney bean version, so maybe I should just stick with that!
Now if you would just come up with an Instant Pot Dirty Rice recipe too 🙂
Sandy
Haha! I am working on a Dirty Rice recipe. The thing that I can’t decide on has been how traditional I should go. Using all organ meat, or something more palatable to the general public. What do you think?
Donnie
I would think more people would be likely to try it if you avoided the organs even if that is the more traditional route. I grew up in the deep south where organs, sweetbreads, intestines, etc were all eaten. I never could force myself to try that stuff.
I would guess most people that might see the recipe and want to try it would expect it to be like Popeye’s Cajun rice instead of knowing what the real deal is. I at least assume it does not have organs in it.
Looking forward to seeing whatever the finished product is.
Sandy
Thank you for your input, Donnie! I appreciate it. I will be making it soon!
Emily
We loved this recipe! My husband said he even liked it more than our favorite local Cajun restaurant! My 4 teenagers all loved it and had seconds! Great recipe!